A Portsmouth summer surprise with £1m man’s Fratton future under spotlight
He had dreams of lining up in South Africa’s World Cup opener tomorrow against Mexico, but those hopes were dashed at Pompey. There’s still Fratton hope for £1m man, however, to the surprise of some.
Of the Pompey squad developments so far this summer, it’s news which raised plenty of eyebrows.
As one of the most high-profile signings of last year, Luke Le Roux’s has to go down as one of the most underwhelming of the Blues’ captures to date.
A man with a Pompey future despite struggles
The £1m arrival from Swedish outfit IFK Vanarmo joined with high expectations last July, with the reality levels reached by the 26-year-old have fallen well short of the mark.
In fact, the midfielder’s lightweight Fratton impact over the first half of the Championship campaign was such a January exit was a consideration amid Pompey’s squad reshaping.
It was a departure which never materialised, however, but the pattern of a lack of action for huge swathes of the season didn’t change for the man from Stellenbosch.
That meant Le Roux will be looking on as his South African colleagues open the World Cup tomorrow evening, when he arrived at PO4 as a starter for Bafana Bafana.
So The News’ report last month that Le Roux is currently a wanted man on John Mousinho’s watch moving forward may not have been the update many were expecting.
It’s a development out of kilter with what we’ve witnessed on the pitch in the main, with seven starts and as many sub appearances broadly showing an honest but limited performer by the Championship’s exacting standards.
John Mousinho’s opinion is the one which currently counts, however, and the Pompey boss’ view is Le Roux is of use to him moving forward in the Championship.
Mousinho clearly sees a player whose combative approach can be a benefit, with the head coach the man who works closely with the former Volendam player day in, day out.
What perhaps isn’t so striking from a fans’ vantage point is Le Roux is a character any manager would be happy to have in the squad.
Low maintenance and high on positivity, the affable figure hasn’t provided a moment’s difficulty for his boss despite a difficult transition to the English game.
There’s certainly a value to that attitude as Pompey’s football operation plot their way forward, in terms of squad reshaping this summer.
In the midfield department, Le Roux, Marlon Pack and Ebou Adams are contracted next term along with John Swift.
With Andre Dozzell moving on there’s certainty a front-line operator required in the middle of the park.
Le Roux’s route looks set to be in a back-up position, with his challenge to progress from there as Pompey report back for pre-season testing in a couple of weeks.
It’s a task supplemented by a pressing need to prove he’s up to the Championship task moving forward, with Mousinho set to show faith in a player where others still have their doubts.